Vanderbilt Cup Races

In close up photo #1, the remnant of the original main road leading up to Stewart Ave. can faintly be seen just to the right of Selfridge Avenue, running parallel to the three trees in a row. 

This road crossed the railroad tracks just to the East of the current crossing, then continued Southward across what would become the Quadrangle / Parade Grounds (which was occupied by numerous wooden buildings leftover from the Camp Mills days of WW1) to the airfield.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Kudos to the auction house for accurately describing it as the best COMPLETED example. It will soon be the next best.

From RM Sotheby's to Auction Tucker 1046 at Monterey on August 24, 2018

“The most correct and beautifully finished example available”

Not for long, thanks to Howard!

From RM Sotheby's to Auction Tucker 1046 at Monterey on August 24, 2018

IS BOB IDA ANY RELATION TO THE BOB IDA WHO HAD A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO IN BROOKLYN, ON NEW UTRECHT AVE AND 75 STREET?

From On the Road to Pebble: John Tucker, Jr. Delivers the Restored Tucker 1044 Radio

Guess.  Bull Run Inn.  Corner of Northern Blvd and Glen Cove Rd.  Moved off corner, about 70-80 years ago.  Torn down about 10 years ago.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: The Lakeville Hotel on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Courses

Total guess….not the easiest pic to see with the trees blocking the view but this really does resemble the Westbury Quaker Hall at the corner of Jericho Tpk and Post Ave. This was perhaps 1/2 mike away from the former Vanderbilt cup start / finish line on Jericho Tpk. Yes this is still standing.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: The Lakeville Hotel on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Courses

I believe we are looking at Flaherty’s Corner in the village of Lakeville (now Lake Success). The building is the Lakeville Hotel, sometimes called the Lakeville Inn, on the northeast corner of Lakeville Road and I. U. Willets Road. It was a great place to watch both the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races. The direction of the photographer appears to be toward the northwest. In later years, the building was also known as the Elverton Inn and the Red Lion Inn. I believe it burned down in the 1930’s, sometime after 1932.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: The Lakeville Hotel on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Courses

Additional information provided here - LIMARC, the ham radio club sponsoring the Parkway’s 110th anniversary’s special event station has secured the use of call sign W2V, authorized from the FCC for the special event. This is in addition to the club’s current call signs of W2VL and WV2LI which will also be used.  Using the W, V, 2, LI combinations work well for the event (such as WV2LI -  William Vanderbilt to LI).  And we are still hoping to outfit a mobile station (i.e. a Model A?) driving on the Parkway.

LIMARC has published a page on their website about the special event station which is also accessible through the New York-Long Island Section newsletter of the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League).  The ARRL is the national organization of ham radio operators.

https://www.limarc.org/
https://www.limarc.org/vanderbilt-motor-parkway-special-event-station/

The ARRL newsletter is member accessible only but here is the blurb about the special event station.

LIMARC is in the process of negotiating a special event this coming
October 7th commemorating the Vanderbilt Races on the Long Island Motor
Parkway. This Special Event Station will be on the air October 7, 2018
and will commemorate the 110th Anniversary of the The first parkway
built exclusively for the automobile and part of the courses for the
1908 to 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races

For more information see:
https://www.limarc.org/vanderbilt-motor-parkway-special-event-station

More to come!

From Ham Plans for the Upcoming 110th Anniversary of the Long Island Motor Parkway

Post card series was originally posted on the Blog on Jan 07, 2014

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: The Lakeville Hotel on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Courses

The Lakeville Hotel - Lake Success ,intersection of Lakeville Rd and I.U. Willets Rd
                      photo of hotel looking to the northwest
The hotel was on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race course.
Names of building - Lakeville Inn, Elverton Inn, and Red Lion Inn.
                      building burnt down and was taken down in the 1930’s
Photo was card #1 of the Post card series -  Brooklyn Mineola Fair series #3

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: The Lakeville Hotel on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Courses

Nice to see such a group effort, excellent work all !

From Update #1: Seven Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Members Help to Preserve a Town Landmark

Howard, the film and story were awesome! Imagine if the film could have been clearer and in color. As for the story about Robertson, all you can say is he was the real deal. A tough hard driving Man’s Man even fifty years later.

From Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck Recalls the Greatest Vintage Car Event in Long Island's History

Brian:
Thanks for the comment.  Actually, it is not the area you refer to, though I do know that area too.  I believe you are referring to the strip of land on the west side of Clinton Avenue, just across from where Lindbergh hangered his plane in the days before his famous flight.  The area I searched with my detector is a mile or so south of there, not far from the fire station and across the railroad tracks.  And now I realize that I erroneously referred to Old Country Road when I meant Clinton Avenue.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

Liking your metal detecting adventure, Mr. Moyers! You must be referring to the area tucked between Avalon Rd., East Dr., and Clinton Rd. Perhaps a treasure hunt can be arranged via Mr. Bellmer.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

The photo is taken over the Mitchell Field airbase, Garden City looking towards the northeast.
Major roads - LIMP, Stewart Ave, Merrick Ave, Miller Ave, and Selfridge Ave.
Railroad - LIRR Central branch, aka Central railroad, Stewart RR
Housing complex - Mitchell Field airbase military housing
LIMP - LIMP double bridges at Roosevelt field #1).  Meadow Brook Polo field bridge
        #2).  Roosevelt field motor parkway bridge
Sport Complexes - Meadow Brook Polo fields , north fields
                    Roosevelt Raceway auto track 1936 and 1937 Vanderbilt  
                    Cup races
Date- 1936, the track looks like it was freshly paved for the 1936
Vanderbilt Cup races, The Ellison Ave cut off can be seen which was used for the
1908, 1909, and 1910 cup races.
The Roosevelt Raceway track was used for the 1936 and 1937 cup races.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

More spectacular aerial views, thanks Richard. Again, the sharpest image to date of the Roosevelt Field highway bridge and sister, Meadow Brook Hunt Club bridge. Mid to late ‘30s, aerial is looking NE with Mitchel Field housing at the bottom, Meadow Brook Hunt Club top right, Meadow Brook Polo Fields top left, Roosevelt Raceway on top. Diagonally from top to bottom, Motor Parkway, Stewart Ave, CRR of Long Island. Merrick Ave (Whaleneck Rd) can be seen at top right of the photo. VCR races could be ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘36, ‘37, and ‘60. Photo quality is as good as it gets

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

My father was a Tucker dealer. Had a showroom in Jersey City,N J . Took and sold over 200 cars in less than 2 months. When Tucker went under , we were left with 200 each, luggage set, seatcovers, Motorola radios and antennas. We also had a genuine Tucker engine for display that my father sold for use in a boat.
_________________________________________
Howard Kroplick

Very neat story!

From Update: Tucker will be a Featured Marque at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

We’re over Mitchel Field looking north-north-east toward Westbury. We can see Stewart Avenue and the Central branch of the LIRR along with a small piece of Merrick Avenue in the upper right corner. I believe the housing complex is the officers’ quarters for Mitchel Field. The LIMP structures are the two side-by-side bridges over the LIMP connecting Stewart Avenue with Roosevelt Field. The sport complexes are: Meadowbrook Club Polo Field, Mitchel Field baseball field (a stretch, I know), and the Roosevelt (auto) Raceway. I think the date is 1936 because the track appears to be configured for the 1936 V.C.R. and not yet reworked for the 1937 race. Besides the site for the 1936 & 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races, you can also see remnants of the temporary road connecting Old Country Road to the LIMP for the 1908, 1909, and 1910 races. I also think a case might be made for including the 1960 race course on land just below the grandstand near the upper left corner.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Howard that post and film were fantastic. To see all those vintage cars together must have been a sight to see. Truly the greatest car event on the island. I even just sent links to both our my son’s to see the a slice of the wonderful automotive history of their home.  Thank you for keeping it alive and going for generations now and to come.
All our Best,
Scott & Vicki Alexander

From Helck Family Collection: Peter Helck Recalls the Greatest Vintage Car Event in Long Island's History

Thanks Howard.  I will convey to him that he still has a fan on Long Island.  At age 84, his public presence remains pretty impressive.  Though it is slowly fading, as is inevitable with the march of time.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City